The Influence of African-American Literature on American Society
By Tabitha K.
Books with Black characters on the cover were the type of literature I gravitated to as a child.
Actually, if we’re being honest, that still holds.
There is a certain comfort in reading a book with a protagonist who looks like you from then to now. Within it, there is an opportunity to learn about your history and culture. I often found myself inspired by these black protagonists and motivated to be more like them.
African American literature is a constant influence on my life, but I’m not the only one who experiences it. In fact, Black literature’s influence is so large its role within American society is to educate and be an empowering pillar of America. Its power reaches beyond me to all aspects of the country’s culture.
The influence of African-American literature begins with slave narratives. Although enslaved Africans were rarely allowed to read and write, many broke past that barrier in secret, refusing to let their voices be silenced.
A great example of this is Frederick Douglass. An African-American man who taught himself to read and write, he escaped slavery and went on to produce some popular literature, such as Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave: Written by Himself in 1840. Through narrating his experience as a slave, then as a free Black man in America, as well as preaching the necessity of freedom, he was able to educate white members of American society. Increasing white awareness of how appalling slavery was would prove essential to abolishing slavery after the Civil War.
Additionally, his writing served as an encouraging example to other African Americans; many found solidarity and hope in the message Douglass wrote, inspiring them to lead abolitionist movements. Slave narratives came from a dark time in American history for Black people, but that made them strong. Without the courageous authors of the period, we would have lost many valuable stories that build the foundation of African American literature.
Following the emancipation of slaves, huge numbers of African Americans migrated North in a movement known as “The Great Migration”. This sudden freedom and movement (combined with other factors) sparked an African American artistic golden age known as the Harlem Renaissance. African American literature was now produced at a faster rate in the forms of poetry, newspaper articles, prose, and more. A notable black author from this era was Richard Wright, who wrote Native Son in 1940. Wright challenged the notion that Black characters must be written submissively and used this book to highlight the effects of systemic racism. His book was not met without criticism, to say the least. In fact, some scholars have gone as far as calling Native Son the “most controversial book in African American literature”, due to the violent subject matter within the book. Regardless, the book was extremely popular, selling enough copies for Robert Wright to become the first Black man able to live off of his writing. African American literature like Native Son — writing that sparked debate and inspired protest — served as a powerful educator to American society.
Historically, we can see that African American literature has been an educator and inspiration to American society. However, it doesn’t only belong in the past. Hundreds of African American authors today use literature as a medium to influence society. Their voices empower and shape American culture. They face challenges and backlash not dissimilar to historical patterns; however, they keep doing what they do. African American authors are the reason for the books on my elementary school’s library shelves that I gravitated to: the ones with people on them with dark skin and curly hair, like me.
If you’re interested in learning more about African American literature, or if you want to support African American authors, I highly recommend taking a look at the books listed below!
Slave Narrative
- Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano
- Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave: Written by Himself
- Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Written by Herself
- Narrative of William W. Brown, a Fugitive Slave, Written by Himself
Harlem Renaissance Novels
- Cane by Jean Toomer
- The Fire in the Flint by Walter White
- Banjo by Claude McKay
- The Blacker the Berry by Wallace Thurman
Current Bestsellers
- Yellow Wife by Saqueda Johnson
- The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris
- Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour
- Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson
- Angel of Greenwood by Randi Pink
SOURCES
Amani, Konan. “African American Literature from the 1930s to 1993.” BLAC Foundation, Nov. 2012, blacfoundation.org/african-american-literature/#_ftn2.
History.com Editors. “Harlem Renaissance.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 29 Oct. 2009, www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties/harlem-renaissance.
Scott, Olympia. “African+American+Literature+Begins+with+the+Slave+Narrative.” AALBC.com, the African American Literature Book Club, 29 Jan. 2019, aalbc.com/content.php?title=African%2BAmerican%2BLiterature%2BBegins%2Bwith%2Bthe%2BSlave%2BNarrative.